Access to specialty healthcare is a challenge across the United States, but it’s especially critical in rural areas where distances are vast and medical resources are scarce. Goodland Regional Medical Center (GRMC), located in the northwest corner of Kansas, took it upon themselves to address these challenges head-on. Through its partnership with the Eagle Rural Care Alliance, GRMC is leveraging telemedicine to provide specialty care to its rural population, creating a model of healthcare innovation that is transforming rural healthcare access.
The Growing Need for Specialty Care in Rural Areas
Rural communities face an ongoing shortage of physicians, particularly specialists. Even though 20% or 66 million Americans live in rural areas, only 10% of physicians practice there. This shortage forces patients to travel long distances for specialty care or forgo it altogether, leading to delayed diagnoses and poor health outcomes. GRMC, which serves patients across several counties in Kansas and eastern Colorado, has been particularly impacted by these trends.
The demand for specialty care continues to grow. A 2021 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of up to 139,000 physicians in the U.S. by 2033, disproportionately affecting rural areas like those served by GRMC. The specialty shortage has made innovative solutions like telemedicine more vital than ever.
Challenges at Goodland Regional Medical Center
Goodland faced several hurdles in expanding its specialty care services:
● Physician Shortages: Recruiting and retaining specialists in rural regions remains difficult because fewer physicians are willing to practice in isolated areas.
● Geographical Barriers: Patients are dispersed across several counties, making accessing general care challenging and specialized care almost impossible.
● Budget Constraints: As a Critical Access Hospital, GRMC has a limited budget, making it financially challenging to offer a wide range of specialty services on-site.
These obstacles left GRMC searching for an efficient, sustainable solution to expand access to specialty care.
The Solution: Eagle Rural Care Alliance
To overcome these challenges, GRMC joined the Eagle Rural Care Alliance, a network of rural hospitals collaborating to bundle their telemedicine services. The alliance allows hospitals like GRMC to share resources, reduce costs and deliver specialty care through remote consultations.
Telemedicine has seen rapid growth, with usage surging 38 times from pre-pandemic levels in 2020, according to McKinsey. For rural hospitals, this shift toward virtual care presents a lifeline, enabling access to services that were previously out of reach due to geography or staffing shortages.
How the Alliance Works
Through the Eagle Rural Care Alliance, GRMC can now offer a range of specialties such as cardiology, neurology and endocrinology. Patients can consult with specialists remotely, avoiding the need for long-distance travel, while local healthcare providers collaborate with specialists to ensure accurate diagnoses and high-quality care.
“Our patients are able to access top-tier care right here at home,” says Amie Powell, Chief Operations Officer at GRMC. “Telemedicine allows us to leverage subspecialists’ expertise without the need for travel, which significantly improves care for our rural patients.”
Benefits and Outcomes
GRMC’s partnership with the Eagle Rural Care Alliance has resulted in significant improvements:
● Improved Patient Access: Patients no longer need to travel hours to receive specialty care, leading to better continuity of care and improved outcomes.
● Economic Sustainability: By bundling telemedicine services with other rural hospitals, GRMC has managed to lower costs while offering more care options. This cost-sharing model helps to offset the financial constraints of its rural healthcare system.
● Enhanced Collaboration: The alliance fosters a collaborative environment where rural hospitals can share resources, knowledge and best practices, ensuring consistent, high-quality care across regions.
Goodland Regional Medical Center’s partnership with Eagle Telemedicine and the Rural Care Alliance has redefined healthcare delivery in rural Kansas. By embracing a hybrid healthcare model with telemedicine, GRMC has overcome geographical and financial barriers, making specialty care more accessible to its patients.
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